SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A sexual assault advocate invited to talk to the SDSU football team soon after police began a rape investigation, is taking aim at the school’s handling of the accusations.
In early November 2021, Brenda Tracy, a survivor of a gang rape involving college football players, says she was contacted by San Diego State’s athletic department to share her story.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that was 17 days after the school learned police had begun an investigation into an alleged rape involving football players.
In late November, Tracy arrived on campus.
“I think there was a comment. There was kind of something going on, an incident,” said Tracy.
She says she was given few details of the incident, before she held three sessions over two days, including one with coaches and a 2-hour session with the football team.
“There were questions. The guys were locked in. They were paying attention. We had a good discussion,” said Tracy.
Tracy says one message she tried to impress: prioritizing safety in light of any incidents, including suspending players.
“I do remember talking to coaches about … they don't need a criminal investigation to be done, before they decide what to do with their players,” said Tracy.
Less than a year later, former star punter Matt Araiza and two teammates are now the focus of a lawsuit and criminal probe, accused of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl at an off-campus party last October. The criminal case has been referred to the DA’s office, where it’s currently under review.
At a news conference Monday, Athletic Director John Wicker acknowledged Tracy's invitation to speak was related to the accusations.
"Was I manipulated for PR purposes? I don't know that. Was I was brought to help the athletes? I think so. Were they reacting in a reactive way? Yes,” said Tracy.
The school, which announced it started a Title IX investigation on August 1, has faced criticism for not starting one sooner. The university has said it was told by police to wait until their probe was complete.
“To be absolutely clear, we take allegations of sexual assault seriously,” said Wicker. “SDPD asked us not to investigate because they felt like it would impede or potentially impact negatively their investigation, so we chose to do that.”
“You can’t not look at that, and think, ‘How convenient.’” said Tracy.
Tracy says concurrent investigations are not uncommon. She says not pursuing the case and not taking any actions against the players, sends a poor message.
“The well-being of that program trumps safety of students on campus, and that’s not okay … We talked about harm of doing nothing. To talk about it and see it unfold this way is disheartening. We talked about backlash. They shouldn’t be surprised by it,” said Tracy.
Tracy says hopes SDSU officials will be held accountable, but ‘isn't sure what that looks like.’
Regardless, she says she hopes a better response plan and policies are developed for any future allegations.
